Mechanical control device for a liquidcontaining water closet



J.- A. CABRA Oct. 10, 1967 MECHANICAL CONTROL DEVICE FOR A LIQUID-CONTAINING WATER CLOSET- Filed June 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JOSE A. CABRA ATTORNEY J. A. CABRA Oct. 10, 1967 MECHANICAL CONTROL DEVICE FOR A LIQUID'CONTAINING WATER CLOSET Filed June 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOSE A. CABRA ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,345,649 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 3,345,649 MECHANICAL CONTROL DEVICE FOR A LIQUID- CONTAINING WATER CLOSET Jose A. Cahra, Fabrica y Oficinas Calle 10, No. 34A-07 Bogota, Colombia Filed June 25, 1965, Ser. No. 467,023 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-67) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A valve control assembly for a liquid-containing tank having a discharge port and a vertically shiftable valve plug in its bottom. A horizontal actuating lever supported on a vertical pivot at one end is laterally offset from the valve plug, and its opposite end is connected to the plug by a flexible cord. The lever is provided with a cam slot at the end adjacent its pivot, and an externally controlled, horizontally movable push rod having means for slidably engaging the cam slot actuates the lever and plug.

This invention relates to a remote control mechanism for ball-type valves and consists more particularly in new and useful improvements in a control mechanism for use in connection with the discharge valve of a liquid containing tank, such, for example, as a toilet flush tank.

Heretoforce, numerous mechanisms have been designed to control ball-type valves for the liquid discharge openings in the bottom walls of liquid containing tanks and operated by means exterior of the tank to lift the ball from the discharge valve and automatically permit its return to closed position after the liquid has been discharged. However, most conventional structures of this nature which usually employ a rubber ball are operated by a complicated leverage system articulated to the ball by a series of metallic levers and rods, the ball stem or rod being guided through a fixed centering ring or collar. Structures of this type have a number of disadvantages, such, for example, as the inability to properly align the ball supporting stem for perfectly centered action in dropping the ball into the valve seat, which inevitably results in leakage unless the ball is replaced by hand.

Another disadvantage of these conventional structures lies in the large number of metal fittings required for proper operation of the ball and the fact that corrosion of the moving parts ultimately results in failures and hinders easy operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball-type valve for controlling the discharge from liquid storage tanks wherein the conventional ball is replaced by a hollow closure plug, preferably formed of plastic which may either blown or molded into the proper shape, said plug being suspended by a cord of nylon or other flexible material which is unaffected by the liquid being controlled, said cord passing through a centering guide, with its opposite end operatively connected to a remotely controlled lever device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control mechanism of this nature wherein the lower portion of the conical valve plug, when in open position, is normally retained within the confines of the discharge valve opening, which thereby facilitates proper alignment with the valve seat when the plug descends into closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a remote control mechanism for liquid storage tanks which is durable, economical to manufacture due to its simplicity in construction, and which is easy and accurate in its operation.

1 sealing surface of the valve seat 8 A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved valve operating lever system, preferably composed of suitable plastic material and including a horizontally disposed lever arm pivotally mounted on a vertical axis, said lever arm being connected to a valve plug by a flexible cord, means being provided adjacent the end of said cord which is connected to said plug for translating horizontal movement of said cord in response to corresponding movement of said lever arm into direct vertical movement of the end of said cord connected to said plug.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention con sists in the novel features hereiri set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid containing tank, partly broken away, to illustrate the operating parts of the invention which are shown in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the valve plug is in open position;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view illustrating the individual elements of the invention in perspective;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the plug controlling lever in the position assumed when the valve plug is closed and showing the lever mounting structure in section; and

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing the lever in the position assumed when the valve plug is open.

In the drawings, referring first to FIG. 1, 6 generally represents a conventional liquid storage tank, such as a toilet flush tank, having a bottom wall 7, side walls 9, and end walls 10, only one of which is shown in the drawings. The bottom wall 7 is provided with a discharge port bounded by an annular valve seat 8, the sealing surface of which is preferably beveled to facilitate proper sealing when the coacting valve plug 11 descends to closed position in the manner hereinafter described.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the valve plug 11 comprises a hollow conical body, preferably formed of suitable plastic such as polyethylene or polystyrene, the upper end of which is closed by a head 11a, the periphery of which has a beveled annular surface complementary to the and preferably projects radially a slight distance beyond the adjacent surface of the plug body 11. Within the lower extremity of the conical plug 11, a weighted element 11b of any suitable material, such as lead, is secured by any means to facilitate the descent of the plug during closure. Centrally of the head 11a, 2. connecting lug 12 provides means for suspending the plug from the lower end of a flexible cord 13 which is preferably composed of nylon or the like.

In order to insure the accurate vertical reciprocation of the plug 11, the cord 13 is threaded through a centering eye 14 carried at the outer end of a horizontal guide arm 15 and positioned concentrically with respect to the plug and valve seat. The guide arm 15 is preferably mounted on an upright support 16, and for this purpose, liquid containing tank is in the form of a toilet flush tank.

The opposite end of the cord 13 is connected to an actuating lever device, generally indicated by the numeral 17, the particular construction of which will best be understood by reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The horizontally disposed main lever 18 is preferably substantially the conventional overflow tube may be employed if the triangular in shape, and as seen in the exploded view in FIG. 3, is provided adjacent its apex with a cord receiving opening 19, through which one end of the cord 13 is passed and secured in place by a suitable threaded set screw 20. The set screw is insertable in a complementary threaded boss 21, the opening of which intersects the cord receiving opening 19. One extremity of the base of the triangular lever 18 is provided with an opening 22 to enable its pivotal connection by vertical pivotal pin 23 to a projecting, bifurcated ear 24 carried by a support member 25. The opposite ear 26 of the support member is aligned with the car 24 and adapted to accommodate the pivotal movement of the base of the lever 18 as seen in FIG. 4. The base of the lever 18 is provided with an elongated, transverse cam slot 27, adapted to slidably receive a cross-pin 28 which extends through the stem 29 of a pushbutton 30, to be described.

The base of the support 25 is preferably in the form of a circular flange having a central, internally threaded opening 31 adapted to receive the threaded tubular neck of a locking collar 32. In assembly, the base of the support 25 is placed against, the inner surface of a side wall 9 of the tank'6, as seen in FIG. 1, and an outer flange 33 on the locking collar abuts the outer surface of the tankwall, a suitable hole being provided in the tank wall to receive the collar 32. Thus, by tightening the col lar in the opening 31, the leverage assembly is firmly secured in place with respect to the tank wall. The stem 29 of the pushbutton 30 is slidably disposed within the tubular collar 32, and as best seen in the exploded view of FIG. 3, the inner end of the stem 29 is bifurcated by a longitudinal slot 34, and the extremity of the bifurcated end is provided with aligned transverse openings 35 to receive the cross-pin 28 previously referred to. The stem 29 is preferably hollow, as best seen in FIG. 4, and receives a coil spring 36, one end of which abuts the end of the stern closed by the head of the pushbutton 30, while its opposite end abuts a cross-piece 37 which extends between the bifurcated cars 24 and 26 of the base member 25 and intersects the opening 31 through which the control stem 29 reciprocates.

Thus, as seen in FIG. 5, when the pushbutton 30 is forced inwardly against the tension of spring 36,'the crosspin 28 lying in the slot 27 provides a camming action which rocks the lever 18 on its pivot 23. This causes the outer end of the lever which is secured to the cord 13 to swing in an arc and exert a horizontal pulling force on the cord 13. The horizontal pull on the cord is translated to direct vertical movement of the plug supporting end thereof by the centering eye 14 so that the plug 11 is partially elevated as shown in FIG. 2. Upon release of pressure from the pushbutton 30, the spring 36 immediately returns the lever 18 to its original position, as shown in FIG. 4, and the plug drops into the valve seat 8, returning to the closed position shown in FIG. 1. As previously noted, the weighted element 11b in the plug and the fact that it is only partially withdrawn from the valve seat during the opening movement causes a perfect centering action when the plug is released for descent. The extent of withdrawal of the plug from the valve seat is regulated by the length of the cord 13.

It will be apparent that the simplicity of the valve mechanism of the present invention and its control provides a highly efiicient, easily operable, and durable means for controlling the discharge opening of a liquid containing tank. It will also be apparent that while the structure is illustrated as adapted for use with a toilet flush tank, there are many comparable uses to which the invention may be put with equal effect.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a valve and control assembly for a liquid containing tank or the like having a discharge port in its bottom; a vertically movable valve plug concentrically engageable with said port, a flexible cord connected to the top of said plug at one end, a horizontally disposed lever arm pivotally supported in laterally oft-set relation to said valve plug on a vertical axis for horizontal swinging movement and operatively connected to the opposite end of said cord, stationary centering means for said cord disposed concentrically above said port and plug, an externally controlled lever actuating device, a cam slot in said lever, and means responsive to movement of said actuating device, engageable with said cam slot for rocking said lever in either direction, whereby horizontal movement of said cord in response to corresponding movement of said lever is translated to direct vertical movement of the end of said cord connected to said plug.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuating device is manually operatable in one direction and including spring means for automatically returning said device to its original position.

3. A valve and control assembly in a liquid containing water closet for transmitting motion to a vertically reciprocable element, comprising a horizontally disposed lever arm mounted for swinging movement on a vertical pivot, a longitudinally reciprocable, spring-biased actuating member, a transverse cam slot in said lever, a crosspin supported by said actuating member slidably embracing said cam slot, a flexible cord connecting said lever arm to said vertically reciprocable element, and a centering device for said cord disposed concentrically above said vertically reciprocable element, whereby horizontal movement of said cord in response to corresponding movement of said lever arm is translated to direct 45 vertical movement of the end of said cord connected to said vertically reciprocable element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A VALVE AND CONTROL ASSEMBLY FOR A LIQUID CONTAINING TANK OR THE LIKE HAVING A DISCHARGE PORT IN ITS BOTTOM; A VERTICALLY MOVABLE VALVE PLUG CONCENTRICALLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID PORT, A FLEXIBLE CORD CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF SAID PLUG AT ONE END, A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED LEVER ARM PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED IN LATERALLY OFFSET RELATION TO SAID VALVE PLUG ON A VERTICAL AXIS FOR HORIZONTAL SWINGING MOVEMENT AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID CORD, STATIONARY CENTERING MEANS FOR SAID CORD DISPOSED CONCENTRICALLY ABOVE SAID PORT AND PLUG, AN EXTERNALLY CONTROLLED LEVER ACTUATING DEVICE, A CAM SLOT IN SAID LEVER, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATING DEVICE, ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CAM SLOT FOR ROCKING SAID LEVER IN EITHER DIRECTIONS, WHEREBY HORI- 